Muddy Buddy Cake

That beauty right there is eight layers of chocolate peanut butter goodness! There are two layers each of chocolate peanut butter mousse, chocolate cake, peanut butter cake, muddy buddy crunch and it's iced with the chocolate peanut butter mousse and topped with muddy buddies!

Now THAT is a cake! 

Look at those layers! INTENSE. The only criticism of the cake I have is that I went too thick on the middle muddy buddy crunch layer. Should have gone as thin as the bottom layer.

I'm particularly fond of the elegance of the top of the cake. A quick swirl and a muddy buddy really make for a good border. Just enough of an accent without going overboard. Once you cut into the cake all the focus goes there and that's just the way it should be! 

While you can make this all in one day, it can be done over a few days as well. With so many  moving parts split it up! Bake and make muddy buddies one day, stack and ice the next! You'll be happy you did! 

Muddy Buddy Cake 

1 chocolate cake mix (plus eggs, oil, etc. as the box recommends)

1 butter cake mix (plus eggs, oil, etc. as the box recommends)

1/2 cup peanut butter 

1 cup simple syrup

8 cups Muddy Buddies, plus more for garnish

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/4 cup powdered sugar

6 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled

3/4 cup peanut butter

Bake two 8 inch round chocolate cakes, according to the mix instructions. 

Make two 8 inch butter cakes according to the mix instructions. Add in peanut butter when you add the butter. 

Allow cakes to cool before leveling. 

Line two 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper. Put 8 cups of muddy buddies into a food processor and grind into crumbs. Turn out into bowl and add melted butter. stir until the crumbs are well moistened. Pat the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of two 8 inch cake pans.  Put in freezer for one hour.

Cream butter in a mixing bowl. Gradually beat in the sugar with an electric mixer until light colored and well blended. Beat in the thoroughly cooled chocolate, and peanut butter, until you reach a uniform consistency. Be sure to scrape down the sides.

To assemble the cake, place on layer of the muddy buddy crunch down first. 

Place a leveled layer of peanut butter cake down next. Brush the top of the cake with simple syrup.

Pipe of layer of the chocolate peanut butter mousse on top, then gently place a layer of the chocolate cake on top. Brush the top of the cake with simple syrup. 

Repeat with the remaining layers. 

Ice cake with the mousse. To get very smooth frosting, dip your knife in hot water occasionally. The heat will help the icing smooth. 

Pipe swirls on cake, placing a muddy buddy in between each swirl. 

Pipe a border along the bottom of the cake. 

Store in the fridge. Take the cake out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving. 

Et voila! You have a lovely cake full of deliciousness!

Chocolate Chiffon Cake

So this last weekend we threw a birthday party for dear Butchie. She wanted a chill night on my awesome porch, good friends and food and one fancy cake. She used expletives to express her fervor towards the fanciness of the cake.......and by the time I was done making the darn thing I was too. She described the cake as "infused with curse words." Before you get on your high horse and judge me, let me give you a time line: Thursday night baking, Friday morning baking, Friday night pudding cooking, and ALL Saturday on construction. By that point wouldn't you be infusing with swear words? That was twenty hours on a cake! Every free moment I had for three days! KILLER.

magpies cake

So this cake was an attempt at a do it yourself  replication of a magpies cake I've seen and loved. Now........my cake is just not that good in comparison. How on earth they made those amazingly thin and delicate looking layers is beyond me. You can see where the theme held threw even if the technique was lacking.,,, but how? How? HOW did they do it?!? I'm going to try again in the near future, this time with chocolate instead of fondant, and also, on a cake that does not have three massive cream filled layers, and that has time to let the crumb coating set into a very hard shell for structural support. Also....better lighting. Trying to take a photo as the sun was setting....not so hot.

Butchie's cake was chocolate, filled with butterscotch, wrapped in a buttercream crumb coat, and layered in thin sheets of fondant...as thin as I could go and it still wasn't thin enough! I tried to texture the little sheets by pressing paintbrushes into them.......didn't hold. I tried to make the layers pull out from the cake........then the humidity hit and the cake drew it's inspiration from the wicked witch of the west....melting, melting, melting and infused with curses. So..........what I really think everyone should take away from this cake is the chocolate cake recipe. It's a beautiful chiffon cake, smooth, with good flavor. It stays moist and airy, and lately is my go to chocolate cake recipe.

Enjoy! and another happy birthday to Butchie!

Chocolate Chiffon Cake
adapted from Tartine


¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup dutch cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon powdered lemon zest
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large egg yolks
⅓ cup water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

5 large egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to moderate 325°F (160°C/gas mark 3).

Line the bottom of an 8-inch (20 cm) spring form pan with parchment paper. Do not grease the sides of the pan.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder. Add in all but 3 tablespoons (45 ml.) of sugar, powdered lemon peel and all of the salt. Stir to combine.

In a small bowl combine the oil, egg yolks, water, and vanilla. Whisk thoroughly.

Combine with the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly for about one minute, or until very smooth.

Put the egg whites into a stand mixer, and beat on medium speed using a whisk attachment on a medium speed, until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat on a medium speed until the whites hold soft peaks. Slowly add the remaining sugar and beat on a medium-high speed until the whites hold firm and form shiny peaks.

Using a grease free rubber spatula, scoop about ⅓ of the whites into the yolk mixture and fold in gently. Gently fold in the remaining whites just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Removed the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack.

To unmold, run a knife around the sides to loosen the cake from the pan and remove the spring form sides. Invert the cake and peel off the parchment paper. Refrigerate for up to four days.

Chocolate Collars

Chocolate collars going around the outside of a cake are simply one of the fastest and easiest ways to take a cake from ordinary to fabulous! Got five minutes, chocolate and wax paper? You're good to go. 

Happy birthday to me!

Yes, this beautiful  cake was my birthday cake on Sunday! My own personal cake that is. I made a second cake for everyone else. It's my birthday. I don't want to share my cake on my birthday. Ha ha. You might judge me for it, but deep down, you know you really want to do the same. Besides it's not like I didn't let them have any cake! I made a four layer chocolate hazelnut cake for the party! And pumpkin pies!

My good friend, Rachel, and I had a disagreement  conversation about whether or not it was okay for me to make my own birthday cake. I had to point out a few things (like how much I love making cake, and that making a pretty cake is just "what I do" with my free time) before she'd let me.

My mother gave me some new toys kitchen accessories that I have been really excited to try out: baking rings! I love stacked desserts and finally had some rings of my own to use! I am such a dork dweeb baking enthusiast! I was also pretty excited to try out making a chocolate collar, which as it turns out is super easy....just don't try to fiddle with it too much AFTER you put it on the cake. Don't believe me? See the fingerprints on the cake below? Yep. Just don't.

top: close up of chocolate collar and berries bottom: uncovered cake and chocolate hazelnut cake

Making the chocolate band is super easy!  My recommendation is keeping the chocolate decently thick, so then when it hardens fully, it won't break. :) For my birthday cake I cut a strip of wax paper that goes around the cake, andmade the band extra tall, melted some chocolate, smoothed it on, and then refrigerated for five minutes....CAREFULLY picked it up, wrapped it around and then crinkled in the chocolate. I loved the effect but getting the wax paper pulled off after it set was a tad bit tricker. 

Here's the video I used from Bonappetit.com as my guide! Good luck and have fun! 

Chocolate Raspberry Charlotte Royale Bombe Glacee

This treat takes some work! And even more effort to make look pretty! I was paranoid the entire time. This ice cream cake is a twist of a Charlotte Royale and a Bombe Glacee, two amazing antique desserts. The result is beautiful and a very tasty treat!

The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s world – life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.

This challenge was just that! A challenge! With multiple components coming together it took me the better part of my Saturday to complete the charlotte bombe glacee. I can’t call it a swiss roll ice cream cake. It just seems a little too low for such amazing antique desserts. The bombe has been around since the 1800s. Can you imagine trying to make ice cream in the early 1882? I can’t but Le Guide Culinaire has nearly sixty recipes for the bombe and it was published in 1903! The Charlotte Royale dates back farther to the 1700s. Absolutely amazing.

The biggest recommendation I can make is to freeze the swiss rolls before trying to assemble. It kept crumbs from getting in the icing, and kept the rolls from falling completely flat under the pressure of the knife. I also had a second mold for my bome that I used to ensure things were even, and cut up smaller pieces of swiss cake roll to fill in any gaps between the rolls to keep the ice cream from showing.

I absolutely loved this challenge! Thanks Sunita for an excellent challenge!

You’ll be making a few components for this dessert:

chocolate swiss rolls with raspberry buttercream

hot fudge sauce

raspberry jelly ice cream and

chocolate ice cream.

Personally I’d recommend completing all components before assembly.

Chocolate Swiss Rolls with Raspberry Buttercream

6 medium sized eggs

1 C caster sugar

6 tblsp all purpose (plain) flour +

5 tblsp dutch processed cocoa powder

2 tblsp  boiling water

a little oil for brushing the pans

for the raspberry buttercream:

1 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

a pinch of salt

4 cups confectioners’ sugar

raspberry jelly to taste (about ½ cup for me)

Pre heat the oven to 400 F. Brush two 11x9 inch pans with a little oil and line with greaseproof baking paper.

In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar and beat till very thick; when the beaters are lifted, it should leave a trail on the surface for at least 10 seconds.

Add the flour mixture, in three batches and fold in gently with a spatula. Fold in the water.

Divide the mixture among the two baking pans and spread it out evenly, into the corners of the pans.

Place a pan in the centre of the pre heated oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes or till the centre is springy to the touch.

Spread a kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle a little caster sugar over it.

Turn the cake on to the towel and peel away the baking paper. Trim any crisp edges.

Starting from one of the shorter sides, start to make a roll with the towel going inside. Cool the wrapped roll on a rack, seam side down.

Repeat the same for the next cake as well. Allow to cool. Meanwhile make the raspberry jam buttercream. Whip butter, salt, and vanilla till creamy then whip in powdered sugar in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. Beat on a medium speed until light and fluffy. Add jam and continue until incorporated.

Open the rolls and spread the raspberry jam buttercream, making sure it does not go right to the edges (a border of ½ an inch should be fine).

Roll the cakes up again, this time without the towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the freezer until needed, seam side down, until ready to assemble the charlotte bombe glacee

The Hot fudge sauce

1 C powdered sugar

3 tblsp dutch process cocoa powder

2 tblsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)

1 and ½ C whipping cream

1 tblsp butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, arrowroot powder and whipping cream.

Place the pan over heat, and stir constantly, till it begins to thicken and is smooth

Remove from heat and mix in the butter and vanilla. Keep aside to cool until ready to assemble the charlotte bombe glacee

Raspberry Jelly Ice Cream

2 large eggs
¾ cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup whole milk

½ cup raspberry jelly


In a stand mixer combine the eggs and sugar. Beat for one minute until light and fluffy. Gently mix in the cream, milk and raspberry jelly. Do not whip!

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Pour ice cream into a suitable container and freeze until ready to assemble the charlotte bombe glacee.

Chocolate Ice Cream

2 large eggs
¾ cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup dutch process cocoa


In a stand mixer combine the eggs and sugar. Beat for one minute until light and fluffy. Gently mix in the cream, milk and dutch process cocoa. Do not whip!

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Pour ice cream into a suitable container and freeze until ready to assemble the charlotte bombe glacee.

Assembly:

Cut the Swiss rolls into 20 equal slices ( approximately 2 cms each ).

Cover the bottom and sides of the bowl in which you are going to set the dessert with cling film/plastic wrap.

Arrange two slices at the bottom of the pan, with their seam sides facing each other. Arrange the Swiss roll slices up the bowl, with the seam sides facing away from the bottom, to cover the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till the slices are firm (at least 30 minutes).

Soften the raspberry jelly ice cream. Take the bowl out of the freezer, remove the cling film cover and add the ice cream on top of the cake slices. Spread it out to cover the bottom and sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till firm ( at least 1 hour)

Add the fudge sauce over the raspberry jelly ice cream, cover and freeze till firm . ( at least an hour)

Soften the chocolate ice cream and spread it over the fudge sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4-5 hours till completely set .

Remove the plastic cover, and place the serving plate on top of the bowl. Turn it upside down and remove the bowl and the plastic lining. If the bowl does not come away easily, wipe the outsides of the bowl with a kitchen towel dampened with hot water. The bowl will come away easily.

Keep the cake out of the freezer for at least 10 minutes before slicing, depending on how hot your region is. Slice with a sharp knife, dipped in hot water.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes with Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream

Tried out a new chocolate cake recipe! It bakes up the most perfectly shaped cupcakes I’ve ever had! Moist, and rich with a deep chocolate flavor, it pairs wonderfully with the chocolate hazelnut buttercream!

chocolate buttermilk cupcakes with a chocolate hazelnut butterceam frosting

Kickball lately has been a killer. Our team started out so strong! Two wins and a tie is a pretty good record…but then we lost three games in a row, and I got clothes lined last game by a player who decided running over the wrong base was a great idea. The way WAKA sets it up there are two first bases. One on the left, and one on the right. I use one, the runner uses the other, but it acts just like one extra large base. Why??? So you can overrun first base!!! Not the first base man!!!

kick ballers on the national mall, my WAKA team's shirt/logo

Being hung out to dry like that has given me a new appreciation for kickball night: it needs cupcakes. If I’m going to come out of this black and blue, there is going to be chocolate cake waiting for me! My teammates all have a little somethin’ somethin’ in the jell-o to take the edge of. I. Need. Cake.

So I schlepped a cupcake carrier through the metro at rush hour to make it to an 8:30 staff meeting. Then after work - thank heaven for interns - I dragged it (and myself) down to the National Mall in what is shaping up to be the hottest June on record. That’s love. Hear me teammates? L-O-V-E. 

Did the pregame sugar rush make a difference? Well...um...we scored one run. Which isn't so bad. We lost 1-2, but it was probably out best played game in a month....except for the everclear chocolate pudding that may have been the cause of a batting order mix up....maybe. Hey, I didn't have any. I went third, that's all I know. 


Hope you enjoy these cupcakes! I know 3 WAKA kickball teams sure did! 

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup dutch process cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cups unsalted butter, softened

3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line enough cupcake tins for 28 cupcakes.

In a large bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt.

In 2-cup liquid measuring cup, mix buttermilk and vanilla.

In a stand mixer beat sugar and butter until blended on a low speed then increase speed to high for a few minutes until light and creamy. Reduce speed to low; add eggs, 1 at a time while the mixer continues to run.

Add in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately. Beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Pour half the batter into a large pastry bag and pipe into lined cupcake tins.* Repeat with the remaining batter.  Bake 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes.

*For a two 9 inch rounds bake 30 to 35 minutes. I prefer to pipe in cupcake batter to reduce air bubbles and have greater control over the amount of batter in each tin. It’s a personal preference, you can certainly spoon in the batter as you like.

Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar, more as needed

1 teaspoon vanilla

300 grams chocolate hazelnut spread

milk (as needed)

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy using the paddle attachment. Add in the vanilla and chocolate hazelnut spread. If the mixture hardens, add a little milk. If it appears too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. Continue this until it reaches the consistency you’d like.

Enjoy! 

Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes

I made these for a Memorial Day barbecue and really enjoyed them. The cherry flavor is subtle and complimentary for the dense chocolate. You can either use a cake mix as I used in a hurry, or you can use my chocolate pound cake recipe and substitute the maraschino cherry syrup for the water. As seen on Photograzing. 

cherry chocolate cupcakes

Every year the majority of my friends in DC go down to spend Memorial Day weekend in Duck North Carolina. It’s a great weekend full of karaoke, bocce, sun tans and luaus. Normally I go down too, but this year the trip down to Low Country with Butchie was something I just couldn’t pass up…though waking up at 6 am to drive back that morning from Durham, NC was not my ideal, it did put me back in DC in time to have a barbecue with the other of my friends and Stephen, who were in town for the holiday weekend.

Stephen sweetly thought to tell me not to worry about the potato salad (that I’m addicted to) and that he’d take care of it. He wanted me to “take some time to relax after the long drive. Doctor’s orders!”…instead I made cupcakes. I’ve never been very good at following a doctor’s instructions. But the cupcakes I made were just an enhanced cake mix so that can hardly detract too much from my relaxation.

I love chocolate-cherry everything, and thought to try out a different rendition of my chocolate covered cherry cupcakes. The cherry flavor is light and contrasts nicely with the density of the chocolate cake.

cherry chocolate cupcakes

Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes

1 package devils food cake mix

1 package pudding mix

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 6 oz. jar maraschino cherries

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare cupcake tins. Measure out 2 tablespoons of the maraschino cherry syrup and reserve for the glaze.

Pour remaining cherry syrup into a 2 cup liquid measuring cup. Add water until the mixture is 1 1/3 cups full.

Pour cake mix and pudding mix into a stand mixer. Blend slightly and then add the cherry water. Continue to mix in vegetable oil and eggs one at a time.

Pour cake batter into prepared cupcake tins and bake for 20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out cleanly. Remove cupcakes to a wire rack to cool before frosting.

Cherry Chocolate Glaze

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons maraschino cherry syrup

Measure all ingredients into a bowl. Microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring well in between each session until smooth and glossy. 

Spread warm glaze over tops of each cupcake and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Enjoy!